The Tradition of Experiments

There are two kinds of Thanksgiving cooks: the traditional and the experimental. We understand the comfort that traditional cooks find in serving the same meal year after year: Some things should never change.

On the other hand, it’s our nature here in The Times Test Kitchen to experiment. We’re constantly looking for ways to make even the most basic recipes better. Among adventurous home cooks, Thanksgiving is a good excuse to try new recipes for a hungry audience.

This year, we found turkey inspiration in three recently released cookbooks.

In his “Easy Family Recipes From a Chinese-American Childhood” (Knopf, $27.50), Ken Hom gives a recipe for steamed turkey stuffed with sausage and glutinous rice. Steaming may sound like an odd way to cook turkey, but think about it: The meat is sure to come out moist. Ours did.

Of course, steamed turkey will never brown. In China, where the vast majority of houses lack ovens, a home cook would fry the turkey afterward to get a crisp, golden skin. In this country, Chinese Americans have enthusiastically taken to oven-roasting the turkey after it’s steamed. In the Test Kitchen, we’ve enthusiastically taken to eating this terrific turkey.

Cuban American TV host Cristina Saralegui of the wildly popular “El Show de Cristina” (if you don’t know the show you’ve probably seen her platinum blond image on billboards) injects her Thanksgiving turkey with wine the night before it’s cooked. The turkey is marinated from within, and the result is a moist and flavorful bird. Saralegui discovered the method on a trip to Colombia.

Of course, Colombians are not the only Latin Americans to cook turkey this way. Brazilians, for instance, inject the bird with beer, wine or cachaca, a rum-like liquor.

Saralegui’s recipe appears in “Latin American Cooking Across the U.S.A.” by Himilce Novas and Rosemary Silva (Knopf, $27.50).

In “Alfred Portale’s Gotham Bar and Grill Cookbook” (Doubleday, $45), the New York chef describes his turkey as a compromise between the conventional and the unconventional. His father-in-law always made an unusual mashed potato and chanterelle stuffing. His mother’s more traditional stuffing was made with sausage and bread. The chef’s solution was to use elements of both. It’s a wonderful dish.

The problem is its cost. Though chanterelles are in season this time of year, they are expensive. Portale uses chanterelles only; we’ve changed the recipe to use a mixture of mushrooms because we figured if our budget was stretched buying two pounds of chanterelles, yours would be too. Call it another compromise.

CHINESE AMERICAN THANKSGIVING TURKEY WITH RICE AND SAUSAGE STUFFING

STUFFING

3 cups sweet rice (also known as glutinous rice)

1 cup dried black mushrooms

1 1/2 pounds ground pork

3 tablespoons light soy sauce

1/4 cup Shaoxing rice wine or dry Sherry

2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons peanut oil

1/2 cup finely chopped green onions

2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger root

Turkey giblets (heart and gizzard only), chopped

1 pound Chinese pork sausage, chopped

1/2 pound fresh water chestnuts, peeled and coarsely chopped, or canned

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

TURKEY

1 (12- to 14-pound) turkey

2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil

3 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

SAUCE

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

STUFFING

Put rice in large bowl, cover with cold water and soak overnight. Drain thoroughly.

Soak mushrooms in warm water 20 minutes. Drain and squeeze out excess liquid. Remove and discard stems. Coarsely chop caps.

Combine ground pork with 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice wine, sesame oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Set aside 20 minutes.

Heat wok or large skillet over high heat until hot. Swirl in peanut oil. When it is very hot and smoking slightly, add green onions and ginger and stir-fry 3 minutes. Add pork mixture and turkey giblets and stir-fry 3 minutes, breaking up pork. Add mushrooms, Chinese sausage, rice and water chestnuts and continue to stir-fry until thoroughly mixed, about 3 minutes.

Add chicken broth, remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce and remaining 3 tablespoons rice wine and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and cool thoroughly.

TURKEY

Carefully separate skin of turkey breast from meat with hands. Rub skin with sesame oil. Mix salt and pepper and rub evenly over turkey. Set aside. (This may be done a day ahead. Cover turkey with plastic wrap and refrigerate.)

Insert thin layer of stuffing between turkey breast and skin. Loosely fill turkey cavity with stuffing and close with skewer. (Spoon any remaining stuffing into baking dish and steam 40 minutes before serving).

Place turkey on deep heat-proof platter on rack in large roasting pan or turkey roaster. Add enough hot water to pan or roaster to come to 1 1/2 inches beneath rack. Cover pan tightly with lid or foil. Bring water to simmer, reduce heat to low and gently steam until thigh juices run clear when pricked with fork or tip of knife, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Replenish steaming water as needed. Remove turkey from platter, reserving any juices that may have collected. Discard steaming water.

Place steamed turkey on rack in roasting pan and roast at 350 degrees 25 minutes. Increase temperature to 450 degrees and roast until turkey is golden brown and instant--read thermometer inserted in thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees, about 15 minutes.

Remove turkey from oven and let rest 20 minutes before carving. Serve carved turkey and stuffing with sauce.

SAUCE

While turkey is roasting, combine chicken stock and reserved turkey juices in saucepan. Bring mixture to boil and reduce by half. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

10 to 12 servings. Each of 12 servings:

848 calories; 1,056 mg sodium; 286 mg cholesterol; 33 grams fat; 47 grams carbohydrates; 83 grams protein; 0.39 gram fiber.

CRISTINA SARALEGUI’S WINE-INFUSED STUFFED TURKEY

TURKEY

1 (10- to 12-pound) turkey

1/4 cup red wine

ADOBO

1 onion, minced

3 large cloves garlic, mashed

3/4 cup sweet Sherry

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

STUFFING

2 pounds lean ground pork

1/3 pound bacon strips, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 onions, coarsely chopped

3 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced

3 large red bell peppers, diced

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup sweet Sherry

3 slices French or white bread, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/3 cup slivered almonds

1/4 cup pitted green olives, drained and sliced

1/4 cup capers, drained

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

ROASTING

1 cup dry white wine

3 plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup red wine

Juice of 1 lemon for every 3 pounds of turkey

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon butter, melted

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 onion, coarsely chopped

TURKEY

Fill turkey baster with red wine. Make small hole in skin at top of turkey breast and squirt 1/4 cup red wine through hole, massaging around hole with hands to spread wine and prevent it from pooling around hole. Set aside.

ADOBO

Combine onion, garlic, Sherry and vinegar. Rub inside and outside of turkey with adobo. Put turkey in roasting pan, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

STUFFING

Mix together ground pork, bacon, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, bay leaf and water in large pot. Cook over medium heat, breaking up meat with fork, 20 minutes. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, 40 minutes. Remove from heat, discard bay leaf and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Mix cooked meat and vegetables with Sherry, bread, almonds, olives, capers and salt and pepper to taste in large mixing bowl, kneading gently with hands until well blended. Add a little more water if stuffing seems too dry.

Fill cavity of turkey with stuffing. Sew or truss cavity closed. Bake any leftover stuffing in covered casserole 35 minutes.

ROASTING

Combine white wine, tomatoes, red wine, lemon juice, mustard, butter, onion and salt and pepper to taste in bowl. Stir mixture into adobo in roasting pan.

Put turkey in roasting pan and roast at 450 degrees, basting with pan juices, 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and cook, basting with pan juice about every 20 minutes, until instant-read meat thermometer registers 165 degrees when inserted in thickest part of thigh not touching bone and turkey juices run clear when thigh is pricked with skewer, 1 1/2 to 3 hours. Add water to pan as pan juices evaporate. If breast is golden brown before turkey has finished cooking, cover with foil.

Remove turkey from oven and transfer to large serving platter. Remove and discard skewers or thread. Cover turkey with foil and let rest 20 minutes before carving.

Deglaze roasting pan. Skim fat off pan juices and place roasting pan over moderate heat. Stir in water as needed to make 1 1/2 cups liquid and scrape any solidified juices from bottom and sides of pan. Simmer gravy until reduced by 1/3 and lightly thickened.

Remove stuffing from turkey cavity and spoon into serving bowl.

10 to 14 servings. Each of 14 servings:

532 calories; 532 mg sodium; 216 mg cholesterol; 18 grams fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 62 grams protein; 0.42 gram fiber.

ROAST TURKEY STUFFED WITH MASHED POTATOES, SAUSAGE AND CHANTERELLES

TURKEY STOCK

Turkey neck and giblets, except liver

10 cups chicken broth

STUFFING

3 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks

1 cup sour cream

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter

1 1/4 cups thinly sliced shallots (about 6 large shallots)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 pound chanterelle mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons oil

2 pounds mild Italian sausage, casings removed

1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/2 cup chopped chives

2 teaspoons chopped thyme

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

1 1/4 teaspoons ground juniper berries

Coarse salt

Freshly ground white pepper

TURKEY

1 (16- to 18-pound) fresh turkey

1 teaspoon ground juniper berries

2 tablespoons oil

Coarse salt

Freshly ground white pepper

TURKEY SAUCE

4 teaspoons cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon ground juniper berries

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, cut into pieces

Coarse salt

Freshly ground white pepper

Grind juniper berries in spice or coffee grinder.

TURKEY STOCK

Chop turkey neck into large pieces. Combine neck, giblets and broth in large saucepan and slowly bring to boil over medium-high heat, skimming off any foam that rises to surface. Reduce heat to very low and simmer 3 to 4 hours. Strain stock into large bowl. There should be 2 quarts stock; add more chicken broth if necessary to make 2 quarts.

Finely chop turkey neck meat and giblets, discarding neck bones. Cool stock and chopped turkey meat room temperature. Cover separately and refrigerate. (Turkey giblet stock can be prepared a day ahead and refrigerated, covered.)

STUFFING

Bring large pot of lightly salted water to boil over high heat. Add potatoes and cook until tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain well and return to empty pot. Stir potatoes over medium heat until excess moisture evaporates, about 3 minutes. Pass through potato ricer into large bowl or mash with potato masher. Mix in sour cream and 1 stick butter.

Heat 2 tablespoons butter in large skillet over medium-low heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add to potatoes.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushroom liquid evaporates and mushrooms begin to brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Add to potatoes.

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking up sausage with spoon, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add sausage to potatoes. Add parsley, chives, thyme, rosemary and juniper berries. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stuffing is best if freshly prepared. Do not stuff turkey until ready to roast.

TURKEY

Rinse turkey inside and out with cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

Loosely stuff turkey body and neck cavities with stuffing. Put remaining stuffing in shallow baking dish, cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate.

Rub turkey all over with oil, ground juniper berries and salt and pepper to taste.

Place turkey on rack in large, shallow roasting pan. Pour 2 cups turkey stock into pan. Roast, basting about every 20 minutes, until meat thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 165 degrees. If stock evaporates, add more to pan. Reduced drippings should be dark, but do not let burn. Toward end of roasting, tent turkey with foil if necessary to protect skin from becoming too dark.

Transfer turkey to large serving platter. Let rest for 20 to 30 minutes, tented with foil, while preparing sauce.

TURKEY SAUCE

Dissolve cornstarch in 2 tablespoons water. Set aside.

Pour turkey drippings into glass bowl. Skim off fat that rises to surface and discard. Set drippings aside.

Place roasting pan over 2 burners over high heat. Pour 2 cups turkey stock into roasting pan and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits on bottom of pan with wooden spoon.

Pour liquid into large saucepan and add remaining turkey stock and reserved drippings. Bring to boil over high heat and cook until richly flavored and reduced to about 4 cups, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in chopped giblets and neck meat. Whisk in cornstarch mixture, ground juniper berries and rosemary. Cook until sauce is lightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and whisk in butter, a piece at a time. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into warmed sauce boat.

12 to 16 servings. Each of 16 servings:

871 calories; 1,183 mg sodium; 279 mg cholesterol; 54 grams fat; 22 grams carbohydrates; 74 grams protein; 1 gram fiber.

What, More Turkey?

In today’s Los Angeles Times Magazine, look for a feast of delicious Thanksgiving recipes from six of Southern California’s best chefs.

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Dinner plate from Yellow Door, Rolling Hills Estates. Karen Lee Ballard tablecloth from California Style, Torrance. Amber fork from Room at the Beach, Malibu.